Republic of Ireland vs France: Head to head statistics
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Match preview
Will it be a famous night in Dublin, or will France’s quality shine through?
On Friday night, les Bleus sent out a warning message to the rest of international football, demolishing Netherlands 4-0 in Paris.
It was 3-0 with just 20 minutes on the clock, Antoine Griezmann, Dayot Upamecano and Kylian Mbappé on the scoresheet, before Mbappé completed the rout late on.
In recent years, Didier Deschamps’ side have featured in four major finals, winning the World Cup in 2018 and the Nations League in 2021, beaten on penalties by Argentina in December’s World Cup Final.
Most would expect les Bleus to cruise through this group and, when they do, be amongst the favourites to win the Euros in Germany.
As for Republic of Ireland, this a huge test for them as they kick off their qualification campaign here.
On Wednesday, Stephen Kenny’s side warmed up for this game by beating Latvia 3-2 in a friendly, with Callum O’Dowda, Evan Ferguson and Chiedozie Ogbene on target.
This though will be an infinitely tougher test, with France likely to be simply too strong at the Aviva Stadium.
Republic of Ireland team news
Evan Ferguson scored his first international goal against Latvia and, having impressed for Brighton this season, will continue to lead the line.
Caoimhín Kelleher was given the nod in goal for that friendly, but Gavin Bazunu is likely to return here.
Winger Mikey Johnston was excellent off the bench on Wednesday, so will feature in some capacity here.
France team news
Kylian Mbappé took his tally to 38 international goals against Netherlands, just 15 short of Olivier Giroud’s record, despite being just 24 years old.
After Hugo Lloris’ retirement, Mike Maignan is now the number one, marking the occasion on Friday night by saving a stoppage time penalty.
Antoine Griezmann will extend his astonishing record by featuring in a 78th successive competitive international, not missing out since his debut at the 2014 World Cup.
